Method and apparatus for molding plastic articles



April 22, 1952 H. z. GORA 2,593,667

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOLDING PLASTIC ARTICLES Filed Aug. 19, 1948 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

' fe/rx y Z (Jo/ a BY .55 M 1621M A ril 22, 1952 H. z. GORA 2,593,667

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOLDING PLASTIC ARTICLES Filed Aug. 19, 1948 H 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 B r INVENTOR. Hen/ y Z 60/"@ April 22, 1952 H. z. GORA 2,593,667

METHOD AND APPQRATUS FOR MOLDING PLASTIC ARTICLES IN V EN TOR.

A T TOEA/Ew April 22, 1952 H. z. GORA 2,593,667

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MOLDING PLASTIC ARTI-GLES Filed Aug. 19, 1948 I Y '4 Sheefs-Sheei 4 F4 5 v 7 5 6' 5a 5/ \V I I 72a, 97 I 7/ 6 IN V EN TOR.

ffe/W y Z, Gorcz BY WNW ATTORNE 45 Patented Apr. 22, 1952 UNHTED srar attract METHOD Ann maniacs FOR MOLD- rNo. rrssrrc ARTICLES Henry Z. Gora, Stratford,1i3onn., assignor to ihe Gora-Lee Corporation; stratiord djonn a cor- This invention relates to the manufacture of articles from thermoplastic material, and parv ther away from such material and prevents .sufiiticularly to the molding of such relativelysmall 7 articles as various types of buttons, washers,

caps, etc. from such a suitable thermoplastic'material or other elastomer, although it will be apparent from the following description that "the invention is not limited to manufacturing any specific product from any particular plastic materiah- 9 7 ihe present invention is another embodiment of that shown in my co-pending application, Serial No. 642,193, filed January 19, 1946,; now UnitedStates Patent No. 2,548,306yissued April 10, 1951, in which 'a strip of plastic moldable material is fed betweencooperating die members located on the peripheries of rotating, die-supporting drums, whereby material from the strip is blanked out and pressed between the dies as the drums rotate to formthe desiredproduct,

the molded pieces being thereafter ejected from the die members. a If the plastic material is such as to require curing, or vulcanizing, as in the case of rubber or other elastomer, the molded pieces can be ejected onto a conveyor belt orthe' like i rolls to which the prepared raw material isied in bulk to form the bank in the rollers. After'suflicient working to produce the desired degree'of plasticity and a layer of desired thickness is formed on one roller, a band or 'strip' of molding material iscut from thatroller at" the delivery end, fed to .and between'the die members on the rotating drums, and the skeletonized strip then returned to the raw material in the platticizing mill to be reworked and reincorporated in the bulk raw material. *As described in said application, the band or strip which is passed between the die members and from which the molded articles are formed, is a flat strip of-substantially uniform cross-section.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and apparatus for molding articles from thermoplastic materials.

When it is attempted to remove at high speed a plurality of strips from the plasticizing mill rolls, as is described for example in the said copending application, difficulty is usually experienced in obtaining separate strips of satisfactory form and cross-section, as the strip which is formed nearest tothe bulk material in the mill tends to starve the strip formed fur is i.

cient material reaching the point'at which the other strip or strips are formedto produceentirelysatisiactory results.

A further object of this invention is to provide a method and apparatus for plasticing material capable of producing at high-spe'eda pluralityof satisfactory separate strips of moldablematerial from a single mill.

These and other objects which will be apparent areaccomplished by the invention hereinafter described, and illustrated 'inthe accompanying drawings in which- Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the complete process;

Fig. 5 'isan elevation, partly in section, of the molding drums showing the molding operation;

" Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the elements shown Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the preformed strip from which the molded articles are formed;

and

Fig. 8 is a view showing one type of molded article made on the present machine.

"lf'heillustrated embodiment of the invention includes a machine comprising a frame 2Qon a base 2| supporting an electric motor 22, uprights 23 secured'in position by tie rods 24, and horizontal members 25 in which are journaled shafts 26 and 21 having meshing spur gears 28 and 29.

The shaft Zfi'carries a rotary drum or die carrier 30, Fig. 3, and the shaft 21 carries a drum or die carrier 3!. The drums 3i and 3! have substantially the same diameter, and are located on parallel axes with their peripheries extending closely adjacent at a point 32 which constitutes a molding station.

Above the drums 39 there is a warming mill 33 including heat-controlled rolls 3% and 35 mounted on shafts 36 and 3'! respectively, journaled in vertical extensions 38 of the frame 20. The rolls 34 and 3-5 are geared together by smaller and larger spur gears 39 and 40 mounted on the shafts 36 and 3? respectively, so that the roll 34 rotates faster than the roll 35. The shaft 36 also has a spur gear M mounted thereon, Figs. 1 and 2,;engaging a pinion 42 carried by a jack-shaft i3 which is driven through a belt and pulley drive 44 from the motor 22.

The spur gear 39 meshes with an idler gear 39a driven by the gear 39, so that the drums 30 and 3| and the rolls 34 and 35 of the warming mill 33 rotate in synchronism, and the ratio of the gearing is such that the peripheral speeds of the drums 33 and 3| and roll 34 are the same. The rolls 34 and 35 may be heated or cooled by passing steam or cooling fluid through shafts 36 and 31 which are hollow for this purpose, these shafts being connected by suitable fittings to supply pipes 45 and 46. Also, the peripheries of the drums 30 and 3|, Figs. 4 and 6 have annular channels, and interconnecting passages did so that heating or cooling fluids may be fed thereto from pipes 43 connected with the the shafts 26 and 2'1, which latter are bored and coupled by suitable fittings with supply pipes 49;

According to the present invention, the material which is to be moldedinto the desired articlesis deposited in the trough formed between the rolls 1'4 and 35 of the warming mill, and a sufficient quantity 55 of the moldable material which, for instance, may be of. uncured rubber or elastomer, or other thermoplastic material, is kept in the mill so that it may be worked and heated tothe desired degree of plasticity.

In the illustrated embodiment, the plasticizing mill is so arranged and the operation so conducted that a plurality of separate preformed strips can be withdrawn from the millrolls without having the material in the mill tend to accumulate at and be drawn off principally in one strip to the detriment of the other strip or strips. When, for example, it is desired to form two strips of moldable material, the raw material 55 is supplied to the mill in separate batches at each end of the rolls 34 and 35, the material in each batch moving gradually to a separate delivery zone, which is illustrate'd'as substantially midway of the length of the rolls, by which time it is of the desired plasticity for molding. The rolls 3:; and 35 are so spaced-that apredetermined quantity of the material builds up as a complete layer on the hotter roll 34. When the moldable material 55 has been brought to the desired degree of plasticity, separate continuous strips 5| thereof are peeled or stripped from'the roll 34 and ultimately fed between the separate sets of dies on the drums 35 and 3|. As shown, each strip 5| is first passed over a roll 5 la which is power driven and aids in drawing the stripof moldable plastic material from the roll 34. 5 Each strip 5| is cut from a separate layer of material on the roll 3-4 by a pair of knives 5|b engaging the roll 34 and carried by a cross bar 5|e, and these knives may be secured to the bar at different locations so that the space between them, and therefore the width of the strip 5|, may be varied.

It will be apparent that the invention is not limited to the removal of any specific number of strips 5|. Inasmuch as the dual mechanisms illustrated in connection with forming and moldlug the separate strips are alike, one only need be described.

Preferably, the strip 5| is out from the material on the roll 34 near the center of. the'roll, and the quantity of new material which is added from time to time is fed to the milling rolls at both ends thereof so that as the material is worked, itmoves across from the intake ends of the rolls to the delivery zone near the center of the mill from which the strip 5| is'cut.

In the present invention, the strip 5| is preformed before it is fed to the molding dies to assist in and improve the molding operation. As illustrated, the mechanism for providing a preformed strip includes shaping the mill roll frornwhich the stri is cut adjacent the cutting knives. For example, in molding buttons having the shape generally shown in Fig. 8, a preformed strip having substantially the cross-section shown in Fig. 7, is formed by providing the roll 34 with a circumferential groove 5|d located midway between a pair of knives 5|b. This feature of the invention relating to the cutting and removing of a continuous plasticized strip from a portion of the layer including the portion of greater thickness formed by the circumferential groove is described and claimed in my copending application, Serial No. 96,965, filed June 3, 1949.

The uneven edges of the layer of material at the ends of the roll are preferably deflected toward the center of the machine, so that they may comingle withthe quantity of material 50 at-the intake ends of the rolls, and be used subsequently as part of the continuous strip 5|. This is accomplished by the provision of, cam surfaces 5|e on the plates 5|f which close the ends of the trough between the rolls.

After the strip 5| leaves the roll 5|a it passes downwardly, through a guide 5|g, if desired, to a point immediately above the bite of the drums 3|] and 3! and substantially tangentially to berth drums. V j

. The peripheries of the drums 33 and 3| are provided with sets of die elements 52 and 53 respectively, which are adapted to sequentially cooperate at the point of adjacency of molding station32 of the drums as the latter rotate, for the purpose of blanking and molding the material of the continuous strip 5|. The die elements 52 and 53 are-shaped to cut predetermined blanks from the strip 5| and, if desired, to simultaneously mold said blanks to the desired shape, for instance, the buttons 55 shown in Fig. 8-without excess material being left over from the blanks. The die elements 53 may be rigidly securedto the periphery of the drum 3| by screws 54, and may be mounted in multiple groups around the drum 3|, one group for each strip 5|. Each element 53 has a centrally bored body and concave molding surfaces 51 and flanges 58 for engagement with the heads of the screws 54. The elements 53 may also have circular cutting or blanking edges 59 bordering the molding surfaces 51, the edges being preferably slightly flat.

The die elements 52 carried by the drum 35 are preferably. mounted so as to be tiltable slightly on axes parallel to the axes of the drums to enable them to become parallel with the elements 53 for coaction just prior, upon and subsequent to the elements reaching the molding station.

Hence, the periphery of the drum 33 is provided with a plurality of transversely extending semi-cylindrical grooves 55 and the back 6| of each of the die elements 52 is semi-cylindrical in shape to nest within and rotate on the surface of a groove 60. The grooves 53 have shoulders 52 at their ends for engaging the end of the elements 52 to prevent endwise movement thereof. The die elements 52 are retained on the periphery of the drum 3|) bymeans of a wire or strap 3-3 wrapped around the drum and located in a groove 52a in each element 52.

The grooves 52a are slightly rounded transversely of the die elements52 so that the latter are free to rock, but cannot move bodily out of the cylindrical sockets 60.

Each of the die elements 52 has a pair of recesses or cavities 64 adapted to align and cooperate with the cavities or molding surfaces 5! of the pairs of die elements 53. As shown the recesses 64 are of smaller diameter than the die elements 53, and therefor the outer fiat surfaces 65 of the elements 52 may engage and cooperate with the blunt cutting edges 59 of the elements 53, for the purpose of cutting or squeezing blanks from the strip of material 5| being molded.

For the purpose of molding articles with central recesses or apertures such as the buttons 55, the die elements 53 are provided with core pins in the form of plungers 61 having shanks 61a extending through central apertures in the elements, the shanks having a diameter and shoulder at their ends to produce the desired cavity in the button 55. The pins 61 have collars 68 which are slidably carried in radial bores 69 provided in the drum, and secured to the bodies 68 are inwardly directed shanks l which project through and beyond the inner periphery of the drum 3|. The pins 61 are urged to retracted positions by springs H located between the collars 68 and the undersurfaces of the die elements The core pins 6! are atomatically caused to move outwardly and return as they approach and leave the molding station 32, and again project for the purpose of ejecting the molded buttons 55 by a cam mechanism 12 located within the drum 3| and in a position to be engaged by the inner ends in of the core pins. The cam 12 normally has a circular or concentric portion 14 holding the pins partially projected and motionless. When each pin and its accompanying due element 53 reach the molding station 32 the pin is engaged by a roller 12a which projects the pin to its full extent, and causes the outer ex tremity to engage the bottom of the cavity of an aligned die element 52. As each core pin 6'! leaves the molding station 32 it again recedes slightly, and this causes it to be partially stripped from the material which has been molded around it to form the article or product; As the drum 3| continues and the pin progresses, the latter rides up an incline 12b which partially projects the pin again to loosen the molded article from the cavity of the die element 53. When the pin progresses still further, it again recedes due to the declining cam surface 15, and this again loosens the pin from the material which is molded around it. Finally the pin rides up an incline 16 and is again projected to a point where the molded piece is forced from the die cavity and falls onto any collecting surface. The pin. now remains on the concentric portion 14 of the cam 12 until it again reaches the molding station 12.

By preforming the strip to provide it with a cross-sectional configuration which approximates somewhat that of the mold cavity, the material of the strip more readily adapts itself to and fills all parts and interstices of the cavities formed between aligned die elements 52, 53 when the core pins 61 are advanced into the said cavities. In this way, the blanks of plasticized material are molded to substantially the exact shape of such cavities, the operation being facilitated by the heat of the die elements, received by conduction from the peripheries of the drums 30 and 3|.

Since one of the drums is maintained at a higher temperature than the other, the drum 3| being the hotter as shown, the molded pieces 55 remain in the die elements 53 after the cooperating elements separate upon leaving the moldin station 32. This differential heating or cooling of the drums may be accomplished in any suitable man-ner, as for instance by regulating a throttling valve H in the supply line 49 for the drum 30.

In order to facilitate the flow of the material over the surfaces of the die elements in filling the cavities thereof and to keep the molded pieces 55 from becoming so adhering to the die elements 53 and core pins 61 that they could not be readily removed, and also to avoid the sticking of the pieces to the die elements 52, both sets of die elements are moistened with a suitable molding lubricant escaping slowly through nozzles |0 as they approach the molding station 32.

Due to the projected portions of the core pins located in the die elements 53, the molded pieces 55 are temporarily retained in the elements only until the pins are retracted and again projected, for as soon as each core pin is retracted from its molded piece, the cavity thereof contracts and upon the next outward movement of the pin an outward impetus is given to the molded piece which causes it to be dislodged from the die 53 and ejected.

According to the present invention in its form at present preferred, when the moldable material -is of a curable nature, such as synthetic rubber,

the process is so carried out that no curing of the molded piece is efiected while it remains in the die. Rather, the molded pieces are ejected from the die elements as aboveexplained, and then subsequently vulcanized or cured. In this way the operation of molding or forming is not retarded by the necessarily longer operation of curing, and according to the broader aspects of this invention, this curing may be accomplished in any suitable way or at any place.

As pointed out in my said co-pending application, loss of material which would otherwise be scrap is virtually eliminated by returning the skeletonized portion 18 of the continuous strip 5| back to the warming mil1 in virtually the uncured condition it was in when it left the mill, and the arrangement is such that each blanked out strip is fed into the mill at an intake end thereof and comingles with the material being milled and being supplied as replenishment. This may be accomplished in any suitable way, but as illustrated herein each blanked out strip 18 passes over an idler roller 19b and another idler roller 19c whereby the strip is kept from contact with the drum 30, then over a transversely disposed idler roller 19d and thence over a power driven pull roller 19 with which it is kept engaged by a pressure roller '|9e. From the pull roller 19 each skeletonized strip F8 is led into the mass of material 50 at the adjacent intake end of the milling rollers.

It will be understood of course that as the drums 30 and 3| revolve and the pieces 55 are formed, the blanked out strip 18 is carried back into the mill continuously and is again plasticized in the mill and used for product.

In the present invention, the composition from which the articles are molded is so constituted that the proper accelerator is employed considering the kind of work to be done, the condition of heat and speed of the machine, and the time which may be conveniently allowed for curing and vulcanizing the blanked-out piece. Preferably, the accelerator selected is such that the strip of plasticized material which extends from the warming mill to the molding position and then back to the warming mill is not appreciably changed, that is to say, is not cured. Where slow machine speeds are used, a composition having a slower accelerator may be employed, and of course, the greater the speed of the machine the faster the accelerator which may be used.

It will be apparent that the invention can be employed in producing and molding articles from a single preformed strip or form a plurality of such strips. In the latter case, a separate batch of raw material for producing each strip is maintained in the mill and fed to a separate preforming and strip take-off point so that each strip receives its full quota of plasticized material. The strips are formed and the articles are molded automatically and continuously as long as raw material is periodically supplied to the mill rolls.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. The method which comprises the steps of milling between mill rollers a quantity of moldable material an ll one or" the mill rollers has an enveloping surface layer of plasticized material of the desired degree of plasticity and of predeterminedthickness; cutting and removing from two adjacent parts of the central portion of the layer two continuous plasticized strips leaving gaps in the layer; and building banks on the mill rollers by continually supplying additional and replenishing material between the location of each gap and the adjacent end of terial of the desired degree of plasticity and of r predetermined thickness; cutting and removing from two adjacent parts of the central portion of the layer two continuous plasticized strips leaving gaps in the layer; removing pieces from said strips while leaving the strips continuous but skeletonized; and continuously feeding said skeletonized strips respectively back to the mill rollers to form banks thereon between the location of each gap and the adjacent end of the mill rollers, and there continually adding replenishing material which, with said skeletonized strip, commingles with and maintains said banks in suflicient volume to cause the material to creep toward the center portions of the mill roller and fill the gaps in the enveloping layer as the latter passes through the nip of the .rollers.

23. The method which comprises the steps of milling between mill rollers a quantity of moldable material until one of the mill rollers has an enveloping surface layer of plasticized material of the desired degree of plasticity and of predetermined substantially uniform thickness except for two centrally located thicker portions; cutting and removing from two adjacent portions of the layer containing said thicker portions two continuous plasticized strips leaving gaps in the layer; removing pieces from said strips while leaving the strips continuous and skeletonized; and continuously feeding said skeletonized strips respectively back to the mill rollers to form banks thereon between the location of each gap and the adjacent end of the mill rollers, and there continually adding replenishing material which, with said skeletonized strip, commingles with and maintains said banks in sufficient volume to cause the material to creep toward the center portions of the mill roller and fill the gaps in the enveloping layer as the latter passes through the nip of the rollers.

4. A machine for continuously molding articles comprising plasticizing mill rollers; means at the end sections of said mill rollers to deflect inwardly separate banks of moldable material to form an enveloping surface layer of plasticized material of the desired degree of plasticity and of predetermined thickness on one of said mill rollers; means adjacent the central section of said mill rollers to separate a plurality of continuous strips from the surface layer of plasticized material; means to guide said strips individually to a plurality of pairs of molding dies; means to form separate molded articles from the central portions of each of said strips, while leaving the strips continuous but skeletonized; means to separate said molded articles from said skeletonized strips; and guide means adjacent the end sections of the mill rollers to return said skeletonized strips individually to the mill rollers to be commingled with replenishing material added thereat to maintain the separate banks of moldable material being deflected and worked inwardly to the central section of the mill rollers.

5. A machine for continuously forming articles comprising plasticizing mill rollers; means at the end sections of said mill rollers to deflect inwardly a quantity of moldable material to form an enveloping surface layer of plasticized material of the desired degree of plasticity and of predetermined thickness on one of said mill rollers; means adjacent the central section of said mill rollers to separate from the layer two continuous strips of plasticized material slightly wider than the article to be formed, thus creating two gaps in the surface layer; means to guide said strips individually to a plurality of pairs of forming dies; means to form and remove sepa-v rate articles from the central portions of each of said strips, while leaving the strips continuous but skeletonized; and guide means adjacent the end sections of the mill rollers to return said skeletonized strips individually to the end sections of the mill rollers to be commingled with replenishing material added thereat to maintain the separate banks being deflected and worked inwardly to the central section of the mill rollers to fill the gaps removed from the surface layer.

6. A machine for continuously forming articles comprising plasticizing mill rollers; means at the end sections of the mill rollers to deflect inwardly separate banks of moldable material to form an enveloping surface layer of plasticized material of the desired degree of plasticity on one of the mill rollers; spaced circumferential grooves on the central section of at least one of said mill rollers to form portions in said layer of greater thickness; means adjacent the central section of the mill rollers to separate a'plurality of continuous strips from the layer of plasticized material, said strips including the portions of greater thickness; means to guide said strips individually to a plurality of pairs of forming dies; means to form and remove separate articles from the central portions of each of said strips while leaving the strip continuous but sk letonized; and guide means adjacent the end sections of the mill rollers to return said skeletcnized strips 9 individually to the separate banks at the end sections of the mill rollers to be commingled with repleni shingmaterial added thereat to be deflected ahdfwqrked therewith inwardly to the central seetijdri of the mill rollers.

-- HENRY Z. GOPMA.

FERENCES CITED Number 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Fisher June 30, 1925 MacLaren Mar. 1, 1927 Hollenbeck Aug. '7, 1928 Edwards Mar. 18, 1930 Richardson Jan. 23, 1934 Bardach et a1 Dec. 8, 1936 De Wyk et a1 Oct; 22, 1940 Conklin May 11, 1943 Gruenwald Dec. 21, 1948 

